The Only Exception: Weaving
by Sidney Ella Ford
Summary: Fifth installment in The Only Exception series. Newlyweds Embry and Leah are learning what married life is like. With new plans, a future ahead of them, and a few surprises, they'll soon realize their new life together is different than they expected.
1. Honeymooners

**Meshing! Hope you like it! Also, check out my blogs, and you can find a sneak peek of the next chapter on the blog titled Pics and Peeks, which is my strictly blog. I own nothing, and please review!**

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><p>There are so many ways married life can go.<p>

You can be the couple that fights about every little thing. You can be the cheesy couple that annoys everyone but yourselves. You can be the kind couple that everyone on the block loves. You can be the couple that people refer to as 'The Rabbits' (use your imagination).

Embry and I were none of those.

We never fit a form in the first place, so why do it when we're married?

Our new life together was nice. Our first two weeks were a blur of learning one another all over again, in new and old ways. After the honeymoon, when we returned to our normal lives, things were different. Of course, the excitement was still there from our two weeks together, but we were realizing that living together wasn't what we expected. It wasn't bad, though. It was just something we didn't expect.

Cooking, cleaning, chores, errands… We had to learn how we'd do them all working together or working around each other. We had to make things mesh, and it was going to take time and effort.

Embry's alarm woke us up on our first day back to the real world. He groaned and rolled over to slam his hand down on the top of it, effectively shutting off the racket. He rolled back over and pulled me back into his chest, sighing into my hair. A moment later, my alarm went off, making him groan louder.

"We have to wake up, baby," I said sleepily, reaching to turn my alarm off. I pried his arm off of me and sat up, stretching out.

"Come back, Leah," he whined, patting around my side of the bed for me. "Five more minutes?"

I turned and leaned over to kiss his stubbly cheek. "I'm going to take a shower."

He huffed in reluctant defeat, then rolled onto his back and started snoring almost immediately.

I chuckled at my husband and stood up, stretching more as I woke up. I slipped on my robe and went downstairs to start a pot of coffee, then back up to the master bath. When I was done with my shower, I dressed and went back to the bed.

"Wake up, Bry," I said, taking his cheeks in my hands. "You need to wake up for work."

"Why?" he grumbled, his hands finding my waist in his near-unconsciousness.

"Because," I said, kissing his nose, "we need to leave in an hour. I'm making breakfast. Get ready and then come down, okay?"

He groaned. "Do I have to?"

"Have you always been this unreasonable?" I said with a laugh.

"It's unreasonable to want my wife to come back to bed?" he asked, slowly opening his eyes. "We could call in sick and have an extra day to ourselves."

I threw my head back and laughed. "Embry, get up. We need to go to work."

He pouted and slowly sat up, pulling me against him. "I'm up."

"You're sitting up," I said into his chest, hugging him back. "Shower and get dressed while I make breakfast."

Before he could argue, I slipped from his grasp and walked out the door. A few minutes later, I heard the shower start, and I smiled to myself. His obeying me was cute, and it was always a different adventure waking up next to him. I made a big breakfast, since it was our first day back and we'd need our energy. Eggs, bacon, toast, sausage, fruit, and anything you can imagine was laid out on the breakfast table. I put two plates down and went to fill a mug with coffee. I heard Embry's footsteps as I was downing the contents, and I saw him enter out of the corner of my eye.

In only a towel.

I choked, nearly spilling the coffee down myself. "What the hell?"

He smirked at me as he came over to get his own mug, the towel hanging dangerously low on his hips, and leaving very, _very_ little to the imagination. "Breakfast looks good."

"I said get dressed," I sputtered stupidly.

"I just figured I'd get dressed after I ate," he said, smiling obliviously, as if he didn't see anything wrong with being nearly naked in our kitchen.

I couldn't say I didn't enjoy the view, especially after the two weeks we'd had all to ourselves, but I knew he was trying to distract me, and I was _definitely_ distracted. "You're impossible."

"Maybe tomorrow I can make breakfast," he said, sitting down at the table. "I could bring you breakfast in bed."

I rolled my eyes and sat at the table as well, starting to help myself to the food. "I have a feeling that plan won't go over well, and that we'd probably end up late for work."

He smirked, and that was obviously his plan.

"I love you, Bry, and I've loved the last two weeks we've had together," I said, putting a hand over his on the table and smiling at him.

"But?"

"_But_, we really need to go back to the real world, just a little. We still have our jobs, our families, and we still have things to work on. I need to work on getting into school and deciding what to study."

"We have all the time in the world for that," he argued, setting his own trap.

"We have all the time in the world for _us_," I countered, and he knew I was right. "We can do things on our own time, and we can have our own time whenever."

Embry didn't talk much more. After he ate, he helped me get everything cleaned up, then went to get dressed, coming down a few moments later in appropriate attire. "Are you happy?"

I walked up to him and put my arms around his neck. "Very."

He kissed my lips lightly. "Let's go."

Embry drove me to work, as always, and as I was going to get out of the car, he grabbed my hand. He brought it to his lips and kissed my ring, then tugged me to him gently to have a proper goodbye kiss.

"I'll see you this afternoon. I love you."

I smiled at him. "I love you, too."

In the hospital, it was easy to fall back into my old routine. I was back on the day schedule, so I would have the same schedule as Embry, and we wouldn't have to fix time around night shifts. The kids were thrilled that I was back, and there were a few new patients. I took care of a particularly stubborn three year old named Fiona for most of the day. She had a concussion after falling off a shelf she climbed, and was in for a few days of observation. She refused to eat and take her medicine, so most of my morning was spent attempting to feed her. After my lunch break with Jayne in the hospital cafeteria, it was time for Fiona's pain killer, and she was angry, because the syrup was foul tasting.

"I don't wanna take it!" she shrieked, banging her feet on the bed. "I don't want it!"

"Fiona, you need to take your medicine," Jayne was saying kindly, holding the small cup. "It's just a little, and it'll make you feel better."

"_I don't want it_!" she screamed, sounding frighteningly demonic.

I was getting a headache from all of her screaming. The volume was harsh on my already sensitive hearing. A moment later, Carlisle entered, obviously having heard the racket from wherever he was in the hospital. It was amazing. It took him all of a minute to convince her to take the medicine. Jayne stayed with her for a moment as I followed Carlisle out.

"How did you do that?" I demanded, admittedly jealous.

He smiled. "The patient is always right."

I put my hands on my hips. "The patient is three and has a brain injury."

"The patient it always right," he repeated, shrugging. "And welcome back."

I scowled at his back as he turned to go and check on some of the other children.

The rest of the afternoon went by smoothly. Fiona went down for a nap, so I was free to visit with the other children. Liam was coming in for a check-up, so I was able to see him for a few minutes, and I held his hand when he had blood taken. He had recently celebrated a birthday, and was showing everyone four fingers. His parents - the Joneses, who were very sweet, and who had come to appreciate Liam's comfort with me over the many hospital visits he had - congratulated me on my marriage, and wished me well. When it came time for Liam to go, it was the end of my shift, so I walked out with him and his parents. Embry was already in the parking lot, leaning on the side of the car, and walked up to greet Liam.

"Hey, kiddo," Embry said, kneeling down to Liam's height. "What are you doing here?"

"I had a checkup," the little boy said, giving a toothy grin. "And I got to play with Sissy Leah."

Embry smiled back. "That sounds like fun. How old are you now?"

Four tiny fingers were displayed proudly. "I just turned four on my birthday! I got a new bicycle, but I can't ride it good yet. Mommy has to put my armor on before I ride it."

'Armor?' I mouthed to Mrs. Jones.

'Padding' she returned, looking amused.

Embry was grinning at Liam. "My birthday is next week."

"How old are _you_ gonna be?" Liam asked curiously.

"Old," my husband said with a laugh.

"But _how_ old? Old as Sissy Leah?"

I shot Embry a look, but he just smirked at me. "No, not as old as Leah."

Liam let out an audible gasp. "Sissy Leah is old?"

Mrs. Jones touched his head. "Liam, don't be rude."

Embry fought back laughter. "Yes, Leah is very old. She's almost twenty-one!"

I snorted, as did Liam's parents. "Embry, shush."

"Maybe it's time we go," Mr. Jones said, and I would have kissed him if we both weren't married, and if he wasn't ten years older than me.

"Okay," Liam said, turning to look at me. "Bye, Sissy Leah."

"Bye, Liam," I said, bending down for a hug. "I'll see you next time you come in, okay?"

We all said our goodbyes and went our separate ways, then Embry greeted me properly when we were out of earshot.

"Hey, beautiful," he said, picking me up in a huge hug.

I hadn't realized how much I'd missed him through the day. It was even more intense, especially since we hadn't left each others' side for two weeks. "Hey."

"I missed you." He started to lead me to the car, still holding me close.

I sighed happily, resting my head on his collarbone. "Let's go home."

He released me and opened the door for me, then walked around to the drivers' seat. "What do you want to do for dinner?"

"Ugh, we need to go grocery shopping," I remembered, tired and annoyed at the thought of shopping when I could be lazy with my husband.

"Well we can make it fast. What do we need?"

"Everything," I groaned, recalling the bareness of the cabinets after I made the feast of breakfast. "Let's just go. We can grab something to pop in the oven while we're there."

One hour and about twenty bags of groceries later, we got home. We put a bake-and-eat casserole in the over while we put up our groceries, then we fixed a pan with cookie dough to go in after our dinner was done baking. We talked while we ate, then changed into our pajamas before the cookies were done. Finally, we curled up on the couch with out sweets and watched a movie.

It was fun to act grown up, and then I realized maybe we weren't acting so much anymore. We were married. We had a house and a life together. It wasn't necessarily easy, but being grown up wasn't as hard as I'd thought it would be. At least, not with Embry.

"What are you thinking about, beautiful?" he asked, smiling at me when he saw my content smile.

"Only you."

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><p><strong>AN: Hope you liked it! Reviews? **

**~Sidney **


	2. Back to the Pack

**I know I should have updated this sooner, but school is back in and I've been getting migraines from the insanity. I put up a sneak peek on my Pics and Peeks blog, but no one commented on it, so I take it no one saw it. Anyway, unless I get a review telling me to put up a sneak peek, I'm not posting one. I own nothing, and please review!**

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><p>The week went by rather quickly. We went through our routines normally, and fell into a happy routine. We reinstated our Thursday night dinners with the moms, and it was the first time we'd seen our families in nearly three weeks.<p>

"This is going to be weird," I whispered, feeling suddenly awkward when we pulled up outside of my mother's house.

Embry looked over at me, an eyebrow raised. "What do you mean?"

I blushed deeply, mortified at the words that came out of my mouth, again in a whisper. "They know we've had sex! Everyone knows we've had sex!"

"Baby, we're married. What did they think we'd do, take a vow of celibacy?" he asked, trying to crack a joke.

"But we made a point to let everyone know that we weren't…_doing it_…before the wedding. Now, they know we've done it! They knew that _night_ that we were about to do it. This is going to be weird now!"

Embry reached over the console and cupped my cheeks. "Leah, you're acting crazy. And since when do you dance around the word 'sex', or any word for that matter?"

I growled at him. "It's weird to imagine my mom being totally aware that I'm a sexual being. I mean, she's suspected before, but now it's just common knowledge. It's just _weird_."

"How tired are you?"

"What?"

"Lee, you're tired or something. You're freaking out over nothing. Just pretend nothing is different from the last time we did this and we'll make it through the night with minimal blushing, okay?"

I pouted at him. "You're making fun of me."

His lips twitched, and I knew that was _exactly _what he was doing. "Baby, no one's going to say or do anything. Let's just go on in and have a nice evening with our families, okay?"

I was silent for a moment, then finally I nodded. "Okay. Okay, let's go."

"This is kind of like the talk we had on Christmas Eve, you know? Except a little backwards, I guess."

"Shut up, Embry."

He smiled fully. "I love you, Mrs. Call."

I rolled me eyes, then gave a half smile. "I love you, too, Mr. Call."

"Let's go."

Not a second after Embry had opened my car door for me, the front door was flying open and our mothers were rushing out to greet us. We were hugged by our respective moms, then were traded out. They led us in, talking excitedly over each other, asking about the house and work and what we had planned next.

Charlie and Seth were inside, and much less hyperactive. There weren't many words in edgewise around the questions being asked. We were questioned about college, and we had the opportune time to tell that I had enrolled in the same college as Embry, to take online courses like he would, starting in the fall. They both seemed pleased at the development, then bombarded us with even more questions.

"What are you going to get your degree in?" Mom asked, seeming anxious.

"I'm thinking about going to nursing school," I said with a shrug. "I've gotten so used to the hospital. I could transfer into one after we get settled better, and I could cut down to part time at the hospital. Maybe eventually I can become a doctor."

"A pediatrician?" Seth piped up between shoveling food down his throat.

I smiled at him. "How'd you guess?"

"'Cause I know you," he said, his mouth now full of food.

The questioning continued after that, and one thing was soon made painfully obvious. Of all the things Cassie had been exposed to and informed about, something very important had been left out. How Embry or myself had failed to mention it to her, I would never know, but my heart dropped at her question.

"So, do you two plan on having kids anytime soon?" my new mother-in-law asked casually.

The room went silent. Everyone glanced between me and her, waiting for something.

Finally, I just got it over with. "I can't have kids." Then I pushed a forkful of something I no longer could taste into my mouth, looking for a reason to not continue.

Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head, her face flushed red, and she stuttered for a moment over her words. "I-I didn't know…"

"I thought I told you," Embry said lowly, sounding almost ashamed. "I just…thought I told you."

Dinner passed tensely. We didn't stay long afterwards, and Embry and I didn't speak much the rest of the night. Late that night, we laid in bed silently, facing each other without touching. Finally, he spoke.

"I'm sorry. That was a disaster," he said, speaking the truth.

I had to agree. "Sure was."

"I really thought I told her," he insisted, and I rested a hand on his cheek.

"I know, Bry. It wasn't anyone's fault. I'm sure Mom explained when we left."

Embry turned his head to kiss the palm of my hand. "I love you."

"I'm okay," I said softly, caressing his cheek. "I promise."

He looked at me, his eyes boring into mine. "I know, Lee."

Something about his tone made me worry. "Baby, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I just… My heart dropped, and all I could think about was you and how upset you were." He looked like he wanted to talk about something, but talking was honestly the last thing I wanted to do anymore.

We had had so many conversations about this. We were newlyweds. Babies weren't even supposed to cross our minds; at least, not for a while. I didn't want to think about my fertility, or lack thereof, and I didn't want to think about the fact that Embry seemed to be losing hope. He had said so many times that he thought we could have kids if we wanted, but tonight he looked hopeless. If he was losing faith, how was I supposed to keep my own?

"All I know," I said, shifting close to him, "is that I love you, and I'm okay if you're okay."

"If you're okay, I'm okay."

I cracked a smile. "So are we okay?"

Embry nodded, then kissed my mouth. "We're okay."

"Really?" I asked, dodging him when he came in for another kiss.

"Really," he said firmly.

"You sure?" I dodged another.

He growled, and it sounded both playful and frustrated. "Shut up and kiss me, woman."

I smirked at him. "Make me."

"You're cocky," he said, grabbing me by the waist and pulling me on top of him.

"And you're desperate."

Embry's eyes searched my playful expression, then he leaned up and tried for another kiss, which I finally granted him. When I pulled back for air, he grinned. "You think I'm cute."

"And you love me."

"Yes I do," he said seriously. "I love you very much."

"I love you, too," I said, smiling down at him. "Very much."

Friday passed peacefully. The children in the hospital were all calm, the weather was warm and sunny, and Embry and I were ignoring the stress of the previous evening. He had lunch with his mother, and he informed her of everything, and then passed along her apologies to me. Our evening was relaxed, and we slept in the next morning.

Saturday afternoon, however, we had a pack meeting, which I wasn't exactly looking forward to. As beta, I had to go, though, as did the rest of the pack.

When we got to the meeting place - the Blacks' yard - where Jacob stood while everyone else lazed around. When they saw Embry and I, they all started clapping and wolf-whistling, earning them a pretty little hand gesture from myself.

"Shut up and get this thing started," I said, standing next the Jacob with my hands on my hips.

"Well, we're rescheduling patrols again," Jacob said, earning a collective groan from the pack. "We're still running in pairs, but we're only running the border twice a day until further notice. We haven't picked up a scent in over a year, and it would be easier on everyone to cut out most of the patrols. The Cullens will keep us informed of any planned visitors they have."

Quil cocked an eyebrow at Jacob. "That's all you wanted to talk about?"

I rolled my eyes. "Are you upset about that?"

"Yes," Jacob interrupted, stopping the impending fight short. "All we have to do now is pair off and plan who runs when."

"I vote Leah and Embry are together!" Jarred piped up.

I shot him a nasty look. "It was over a month ago. _Get. Over. It._"

"Yeah, and who knows what would have gotten into your head since then."

"I know what's about to shoved down your throat," I shot back, raising a fist threateningly.

Jacob shot me a look. "Leah will run with Embry. Brady, Collin, I think you two are old enough to run together without an older member. You up for it?"

The two young wolves voiced their agreement, then high fived, obviously thrilled at the idea of not having to have a chaperone.

The rest of the meeting was Jacob assigning pairs, then telling who would run when, based on work and school. Embry and I would run early on Friday mornings, before work, which worked perfectly well for us. After the meeting was over, Embry and I went to visit our moms, for a makeup dinner of sorts. It went far better than the other, and Cassie pulled me aside to apologize for Thursday.

"I'm so sorry about the other night," she said in a hushed voice, her face giving away her honest emotion.

"It's okay, Cassie," I said, nodding to exaggerate my point. "I don't know how anyone forgot to tell you, we just did. It's not your fault."

She bit her lip. "Leah, I've been so guilty the last few days. I wasn't sure if…if you'd gone home and cried yourself to sleep, or if you thought I was the biggest bitch in the world, or-"

"Hey, _I'm_ the biggest bitch in the world," I attempted to joke. "And nothing's absolutely certain. We just know that I haven't shown any body patterns whatsoever. My body just seemed to freeze when I first phased, and I've never shown and signs of changing since. Embry… He thinks we have a chance, someday, but he's as sensitive about it as I am, so we just don't mention it much anymore. It's just…common knowledge."

"I'm still sorry," she said in a whisper. "About everything. I wish there was something I could say to take it back."

I gave her a small smile. "Something that makes you and Embry totally alike is that you both show every little emotion. I know you didn't mean to hurt me or Embry, and I accept your apology. I swear."

She smiled, then pulled me into a hug. "Thank you."

The evening passed smoothly, and then Embry and I went home.

We were falling into a new norm, Embry and I, and knowing it was he who would be sharing that with me made all of my troubles vanish.

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><p><strong>AN: I know this is long overdue. Please review, though! And also, check out the blog, and tell me if you want a sneak peek. **

**~Sidney**


	3. Moments

**It's been a week, I think. I'm planning on trying to update this once a week. It gives me time to work on the chapter, and I'm super busy with school and it's wearing me down to a little nub of myself. So please leave me a review and make me happy? Oh, and I don't own.**

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><p>I woke up Sunday morning to the sound of the shower running. I rolled over to the middle of the bed and promptly fell back to sleep. I was aware of the things around me, and I could hear every sound Embry made. The scratching as he massaged shampoo into his hair, the squeak of his feet on the shower floor as he shifted from foot to foot under the spray while rinsing the soap from himself, and the light scrubbing as he tried himself off after. These were the sounds I was getting used to hearing every day of my life.<p>

"And you're not awake," he whispered nearly inaudibly to himself, coming back into the room to get dressed. "What did I do to deserve you."

I smiled inwardly, feeling my heart swell. I listened to the scraping of fabric on his body as he dressed, then I felt the touch of his lips on my forehead.

He left the room, and I was curious as to why, but I soon fell deeper into unconsciousness, and the next thing I was aware of was a pleasant smell and the growling of my stomach.

"Good morning, beautiful," he said, setting something down on the dresser and then sitting on the edge of the bed.

I slowly blinked my eyes open, looking up at him. "Morning."

Embry smiled down at me. "You hungry?"

I nodded, then lifted my arms to him. He leaned over me and gave me a sweet kiss, then pulled me gently up and adjusted the pillows so I could lean back on them. He went to the dresser and brought back a tray of food, smiling at me.

"Happy Sunday."

"You're amazing," I said, grinning at him.

He sat next to me and we had our breakfast in bed together. We playfully fed each other occasionally, then he went to clean up while I went to take a shower. Afterwards, I slipped into some shorts and a shirt of Embry's, then went to brush my teeth. I was leaning over the sink to spit when Embry came in, seemingly with the idea to brush his teeth as well. After I rinsed out my mouth, I went into our room to strip the bed, because laundry was becoming a necessity and the sheets probably needed to be washed as well.

"What are you doing?" Embry asked, coming into the room.

"Chores," I said, shaking a pillow out of its case. "Help?"

"Fine," he said, going to the dresser and pulling out clean sheets. "Now we don't have to wait forever and make up the bed when we actually want to sleep."

I raised an eyebrow. "That sounded rehearsed."

He shrugged. "I'm just repeating what Mom said when I called her crazy for getting us two set of sheets."

"Okay then."

He didn't seem to like the idea of chores on a Sunday, so we did the laundry fast and forewent folding it (hey, we were only pretending to be grown ups). We spent the day being lazy, talking and making plans and lists.

"We can go look at new cars next weekend," Embry said, his head in my lap as we lazed on the couch.

"Why a new car? I'd be fine with a used one," I said with a shrug. "If anyone is getting a new car, it'll be you for your birthday."

"Well, if I get a new car, you can have mine," he suggested, not arguing with me.

I smiled down at him. "And we have our first and only solid plan. Okay, when are we going to have people over? I'm sure Mom and Cassie have been itching to see the house now that it's all done and lived in."

He shrugged. "My birthday?"

"We could have everyone over Saturday then," I said, thinking about who all should come. "Our families, the pack, maybe the Cullens?"

"Sounds good."

"We should make shopping lists then."

"I'll go get something to write on," he said, pulling himself up with a great effort, for show. He returned a moment later with a little spiral notebook and a pen.

I raised an eyebrow when he had to flip through a few pages of doodles to get to a clean page. "Bored much?"

Embry gave a sheepish grin. "I get easily distracted when I study."

"I know," I said, rolling my eyes at him. "I had to teach you Spanish, remember"

"Shut up," he said with a mock pout. "Whatever. Okay, what do we need? Are you going to cook?"

"_We_ are going to cook for everybody. _I_ am going to cook for you that night. We can have the party during the day, then we can have the night to ourselves. Your first birthday married."

He smiled and leaned over to give me a kiss. "That sounds amazing."

I grinned, reaching up to touch his cheek. "Good. Now let's get to making the lists, and then we can go shopping-"

He groaned.

"-and then we can drop the groceries off and go to the diner for dinner, then we can curl up in bed early and watch a movie or something."

"Or something?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

I gave him a look, then repeated, "Or something. Get your mind out of the gutter, baby."

Embry smirked, then leaned in for another kiss, then finally got to work making the lists. We got dressed to go out, then spent the better part of an hour in the grocery store. We couldn't decide what to make for everyone, so we just decided on a barbeque of sorts, in the back yard. Of all the things we'd done, we hadn't built a patio, so that went next on my mental list of future plans. After we took the groceries home and put them away, we went back out to the diner, where we sat at a little booth in the corner.

"Leah?" a voice asked suddenly. "Is that you?"

I turned around see the familiar face of someone I never thought I'd see again. "Rebecca?"

She grinned widely, looking exactly like her twin sister. "I thought you moved when we graduated."

I was still very shocked, and my mind wasn't working. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"Solomon and I were in San Francisco for a competition and I wanted to come home for a few days. And what about you? Last I saw you, you were calling La Push 'Hellywood' and planning your escape."

I gave a shrug. "I stayed when my dad died."

Rebecca was bouncing on her toes, looking utterly amazed at the world. It was like she was a tourist in her own home. "And Embry? You're all grown up. Look at you!"

He gave a little shrug, looking about as uneasy as I felt. "Yeah, I guess."

"Wow," she said, turning back to me. "Leah Clearwater in little La Push."

"It's Call, actually," I said, finally managing a clear thought. "Leah Call."

Rebecca's jaw literally dropped, and her eyes grew wide. "You're _married_? To _him_?"

Embry looked somewhat offended. "Yes, she's married to me. We got married three weeks ago."

"Um… Wow." She finally was quiet. "That's… Wow."

I raised an eyebrow at Embry across the table. _Do we need to call her an ambulance?_

_Let's just see where this goes_. He was fighting a smirk. _And what's so bad about being married to me, huh?_

"But he's three years younger than us," she said, trying to piece it together.

"Two years," I corrected. "Bella and I are younger than you and Rachel."

"Bella Swan? Didn't she move years ago?"

"Bella moved back a few years ago, and we're stepsisters now." I gave a sympathetic smile. "You've missed a lot, Becca."

"Yeah, I did," she said, suddenly looking like she wanted to be gone. "I'll be around until Friday. I really need to get going. Bye you two. Er, congratulations, I guess."

I smiled. "Bye, Rebecca."

As soon as she was out of earshot, Embry and I spoke in unison. "That was weird." We both laughed, then Embry continued on. "She seemed almost disgusted that you would be with me."

"She's crazy," I said, rolling my eyes. "She never makes an effort to get in touch with home, so she deserves whatever shock she gets. And don't let her bother you. If you remember, tact wasn't always her forte."

He smiled at me. "Yeah, you're right. I like it when you say Leah Call."

I chuckled at him. "I like saying it. In all the fuss, that's the only thing I could think to say."

"Well, it set her straight," Embry said, grinning like the Cheshire Cat. "Let's eat our dinner here and get dessert to go."

I smiled, then leaned over the table and kissed his cheek. "Sounds like a plan."

The week passed smoothly, and then Saturday we were up early, working on food for when everyone showed up. At about ten, people started arriving to the house. Mom, Charlie, Cassie, and Seth were the firsts. Emily and Sam came shortly after, with Via and Claire.

Via was giggly and happy, and looked simply adorable her little blue dress and bloomers, something I'd bought for her. She grinned when I came to take her out of Emily's arms.

"What are you wearing, huh?" I asked, holding her up. "Did Aunt Leah pick that out for you?"

She giggled and blew raspberries, then let me kiss her head.

"She's been giggling all morning. When Alyssa dropped off Claire, Claire scared Sam by running up and jumping on his back, and for some reason Sam's yelp of shock thoroughly amused her," Emily said, smiling affectionately. "Where's my hug? I haven't seen you in a month!"

I laughed and hugged my cousin - now my sister-in-law - around my goddaughter. "I know, and I'm sorry. Life's been…new."

She grinned and bit her lip. "How are you two doing?"

"Great," I said, grinning back. "Things are great. I'm sorry we haven't been able to hang out lately."

"It's okay," she replied, wrapping an arm around my waist. "You've been busy."

I rolled my eyes. "Shut up."

Via's wide eyes searched the backyard, then landed on Embry and Sam, who was holding Claire on his shoulders. The baby looked curiously at them, then back at me and Emily.

"Do you want to go see Uncle Embry?" Emily asked, touching the soft black hair on the baby's head.

Via blew raspberries in the general direction of the men, so we trekked over. Embry grinned widely when he saw the baby. He took her out of my arms and lifted her high, then kissed her forehead and held her up. She giggled and reached for his face.

"What are you doing, huh?" Embry said, chuckling at her wondering little hands. "Did you have fun laughing at your daddy today?"

Claire giggled, obviously proud of herself. "Uncle Sam is funny. He fights vampires but gets scared of _me_."

Sam gave her little ankle a gentle squeeze. "Be careful who you say that to, sweet girl. Not everyone can know our secrets."

"I know," she said, rolling her eyes. "But everyone _here_ knows! Via is a _baby_ and she knows."

"But we still have to be careful. Everyone here today will know, but that's not always going to happen. Okay?"

"Okay," she said, rolling her eyes again. I was beginning to wonder where she'd picked that up. "Quil!"

We all turned to look at the side of the yard, where Quil and Jacob were walking up. Sam let Claire down to run to Quil, who scooped her up in a hug, then propped her on his hip. They met us and started to talk to Embry and Sam, then Emily took Via back so we could go and sit closer to where everyone would be entering.

Everyone showed up rather quickly. Nessie and Claire - at the same size and appearance for the first time in their lives - played together, sometimes forcing Jacob and Quil to join the fun. Embry played with the little girls as well, and it was adorable to watch him. My heart swelled every time I saw him kiss our goddaughter's head, or bounce her in his arms.

"Hey, you okay?" Rosalie asked lowly, catching my arm when she caught me staring in awe as Embry gave a giggling Via an Eskimo kiss, then propped her up on his lap to see the others.

I nodded, feeling an overwhelming rush of some foreign emotion in me. "I'm fine. Just watching him."

She leaned close to speak in my ear. "He's good with the baby."

"Yeah, he is. He's always been good with kids and babies."

"I have to give it to him," she said, watching him as well, now. "He's got paternal instincts, and good ones to boot."

"I know," I said, watching him lovingly.

And I did know. More than I shared, actually. In that moment, I had the overwhelming rush again, but this time, it was a rush of desire. Desire for one thing and one thing only.

A child with Embry.

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><p><strong>AN: Reviews?**

**~Sidney**


	4. Desire

**I was going to update yesterday, but I kinda got lazy and got into writing later chapters of this story. I've been sick, so leave me a review to make me smile, please? Also, I don't own.**

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><p>It was absolutely absurd, the desire that washed over me. I was losing my mind. We hadn't been married a month, even, and here I was thinking about a baby. It was <em>absurd<em>. I knew it wasn't a real possibility, even if we were to try adoption.

I had yet to go to college, Embry hadn't gotten his degree, we were just starting out in our marriage, and we still had a long to-do list of things that are supposed to be done before a child comes into play. No agent in their right mind would consider us, and no mother who was considering adoption to give her child a better life. If we were to adopt, we would probably have to wait years for it, and even then nothing is certain. The mother could decide during labor that she wanted to keep it. Things happened, and things changed.

There was nothing to say we would ever be able to have a child, biological or not. Since my biological clock was at an utter stand still, conception was impossible. Embry had hope, but I had none. I would never have a child, and - by default - neither would Embry. We'd had that talk, and we were still on opposite sides. I didn't understand how and why the universe was suddenly making me desire the one thing I could never have so intensely. It was cruel, and it was painful.

"Leah, are you okay?" Rosalie whispered, pulling me gently back.

"No, not really," I said softly, wanting to do nothing but curl up into bed and have a good long cry. I'd never felt desire so strong it made me want to cry, but this was it. "I think I need some water or something."

She followed me into the house, where I leaned back on the wall and closed my eyes against the tears threatening to pour over. "Leah, what's wrong?"

I shook my head, not trusting my voice.

"Was it something I said?"

I shrugged, then rubbed my eyes. "It's nothing."

Rosalie studied my face carefully. "There's always a chance, Leah."

"What?"

"That you can have a child. There's still a chance. Embry seems to think so."

I shook my head, _really_ wanting to cry now. "No, there's not."

She put her hands on my shoulders, then pulled me into a hug. "Leah, don't disregard it. You can always try. You never know. Bella thought she'd never have a child, and look at Nessie."

I shrugged again, pulling back. "I'm just don't know anything anymore. I'm sorry. Let's just go back out."

A crash of thunder resounded.

"Okay, let's go help get everything in."

"Okay," Rosalie said, giving a chuckle. "Are you going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine," I said, giving a little shrug. "It's just days like this that make me sad."

She gave me a sympathetic smile. "Okay. Let's go."

The party didn't last much longer indoors, and later that night, Embry and I had his birthday dinner together.

"That was amazing, Lee," Embry said, standing from the table to put his dinner plate in the sink.

I smiled at him, standing as well. "I'm glad you liked it."

He took my plate for me. "I loved it. This has been my best birthday ever."

"I'm glad," I repeated, opening my arms to him.

He slipped his arms around me and kissed my head. "Thank you."

I sighed into his chest. "You're welcome. You ready for your birthday present?"

Embry grinned down at me. "You didn't have to get me anything."

"I got you something, so suck it up," I said, pulling back slightly and finding his hands. "Come on, I hid it."

He smiled when he saw I was leading him to our room. "Should I close my eyes?"

"Get your mind out of the gutter," I said, rolling my eyes.

In our room, I made him sit on the edge of our bed while I went to my side and bent down. I slid a box out from under it and pulled out a large bound book. Smiling, I stood up and handed it to him. He raised an eyebrow, then looked down and let out an audible gasp.

"Leah, this is amazing," he said, running his fingers over the wedding portrait that was the cover of the scrapbook I'd started. "Wow, is this pictures from our wedding?"

"Eh, no," I said, sitting next to him. "I haven't made it that far yet. So far I've gotten up to ages five or six. It's all of our baby pictures put together as a kind of comparison. I made duplicates of all of the pictures our moms had."

He smiled at me, then leaned over for a kiss. "How about we turn in early and look at what you've got so far?"

I bit my lip and nodded, then went in for another kiss. "Sounds like a plan."

We dressed for bed, he in his boxers and me in my usual shorts paired with one of Embry's shirts. We sat up, looking through the book in the lamplight. Embry complimented my handiwork, and I could tell her really did like it. On the last page I'd managed so far, there were school pictures of each of us when we were in kindergarten. Embry was missing a tooth, and had shorter hair. I had long pigtails, and had a band-aid on my forehead from something I couldn't remember. When he was done studying the page, he closed the album and put it down on his bedside table. He smiled at me before switching off the lamp, then he pulled me into his arms as we slid down on the bed.

"Did you have a good birthday?" I asked, resting my arms on his chest as I propped myself up over him.

"I had a _very_ good birthday," Embry said, grinning up at me. "I love you, Leah."

I smiled, then leaned down for a kiss. "I love you, too."

We slept in late the next morning, and I woke up to Embry's thoughts in my mind and his arms around my waist.

_You make me happy._ Images and memories of me were flowing through his mind.

I smiled to myself. _I love you. _

_Amazing. _He sounded genuinely amazed.

_What is? _

_That I wake you up talking to the voices in my head and the first thing you say is that you love me. _

I bit back laughter, then sat up, looking down at him. "Well, I do love you. And it's not so bad to wake up to you thinking about how happy I make you."

Embry sat up as well, then kissed me deeply on the mouth. _You're my world. _

"You're not being cheesy," I murmured against his lips, slightly disappointed. "I kind of miss it."

"I'll be whatever you want me to be, baby," he said with a playful growl, then attacked my lips again.

I giggled against his lips, then giggled even harder when he started to tickle me. "Bry!"

Embry's fingers danced over my waist and hips. "What?"

I shoved him playfully. "Stop it! I'm never this giggly. It's kind of grossing me out."

"I love making you giggle," he said, slipping his arms around my shoulders and pulling my body against his. "I love everything about you."

"You're very affectionate this morning, Mr. Call," I said, resting my head on his collarbone.

He pressed his lips into my hair, exhaling softly. "I love you, Leah."

My smile was wide, and I placed a gentle kiss on his warm, bare skin. We enjoyed our morning, taking our time with everything. We didn't speak a lot, but we didn't have to speak to communicate. Every move we made we made around one another. We ate a big lunch, then we spent the day lazing around. Embry had to study, because he had exams coming up, so I cleaned up from the party while he was busy.

Mostly, I cleaned for me. I had to have time to think about everything. I wanted to come to terms with my desire for a child. I had to remind myself that it wasn't a possibility. A lot. Cleaning up everything gave me a lot of time to think, and I found myself fantasizing about having a child. Every time I found myself thinking about it, I mentally shook myself. I couldn't get my hopes up. I would try to distract myself, but I kept getting sucked back into my fantasies.

"Babe?" Embry said suddenly, snapping me out of one my fantasies. "Is your stomach hurting?"

I looked down to see my hand resting lightly on my stomach. I scrambled to find an excuse, but nothing came to me. I finally just managed to mutter, "Guess I ate too much."

"Why don't you go lay down," he said, taking the broom I had in my free hand. "I'll get this."

"Okay, thanks," I said, passing it over willingly. "I'll just go take a nap or something."

Embry kissed my forehead, then set to work as I left. I kept my hands on my stomach as I laid on Embry's side of the still-unmade bed. I pulled the covers over me and pressed my face into his pillow, letting his scent lull me into a semi-conscious state. A little while later, Embry joined me, lining his body up behind me and resting a hand on my tummy as well.

I was immediately drawn into a new fantasy. We were in the same position, but my belly was swollen, and Embry was whispering sweet nothings into my ears while he rubbed my tummy. It was a sweet dream, but it was exactly that - a dream. It wasn't real, and it would never be real. I couldn't let myself believe it was real, and I couldn't be sad that it wasn't. I had shed so many tears by now that I knew it would do no good. Tears wouldn't make the truth go away.

"I love you, my beautiful angel," Embry was murmuring, and for a heartbreaking instant, I thought he was talking about our unborn child. "Is your stomach feeling better?"

I couldn't help but feel sicker at his words, realizing that he was talking to me. "Not really. I'll be okay."

He snuggled up against me, holding me, still. "Tell me if you need anything, okay?"

"Okay," I murmured, relishing his warmth. "Let's just rest."

"Sounds like a plan."

I didn't fall asleep, but I'd gotten very good at pretending. I slowed my breath to a rhythmic pace, causing my heart to slow down. Embry's presence calmed me down, so it wasn't so hard to fake it. After a while, he fell asleep, and I got up and went downstairs. I paced around, thinking hard.

There was no doubt in my mind that I wanted a child with Embry. He was my husband, my soul mate, and my true love. He loved me and I loved him, and we had both expressed our desire to have a child - or several children, in Embry's opinion. We could adopt, certainly, but not now. I'd already reminded myself of this. It was a difficult enough process to adopt, but for a newly married couple that were just starting off, it would be impossible.

I had no qualms about adoption. Adoption would be special in the way that we would choose a child, pick him or her out especially for us, and we could give a baby a second chance at having a good life. While all of that was true, it would never be the same as having my own child.

If I were to have my own child, I would experience the pregnancy, carrying my child inside of me. I would see the baby in my arms the second he or she was born. I would watch them grow up into a beautiful amalgamation of Embry and I together. Above all, I would see Embry's beautiful smile passed on to a beautiful child.

If there was a shot in hell of getting pregnant, it wouldn't be easy. It would have to me a miracle, a very carefully executed scientific experiment, or…

…I'd have to stop phasing.

But I knew I couldn't.

The wolf was too strong.

If I were to travel with the Cullens like I hoped to, my natural instincts would keep me a wolf, and now that I'd created the bonds and made new family members, I couldn't just cut it off to see if it was possible to conceive. Who knows if I even had the ability to conceive as a human? Maybe it wasn't the wolf that kept me from being a mother, but just myself in general? Now the wolf did what it needed to do to survive, and maybe there was no need for a biological pattern. The odds were in favor of there being no possibility to have a child, and it broke my heart.

Embry would be devastated if I told him all of my negative thoughts, but I was sure I couldn't have children. I couldn't decide which would be the right thing to do - to tell him my theory or to let him live in his obliviousness and hope for the best. The latter seemed like a good idea at the moment, and maybe I could push it far into the back of my mind.

All that was left do to was to see what would happen.

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><p><strong>AN: No one wanted a sneak peek of this chapter, but if you want one, say so and go see it on Pics and Peeks, then leave a comment so I'll know you visited. While you're at it, check out my personal blog if you feel like it. Reviews? **

**~Sidney**


	5. Gravity

**So I got one review for my last update…. And that was two weeks ago. Okay, never mind that. PLEASE review, and I don't own.**

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><p>The next few weeks were good.<p>

I found myself hurting about my infertility less and less, and it soon became a tiny dull ache that would only get stronger after I spent time with Nessie or Via or Claire.

At the end of May, Embry and I went into Seattle a few days for his exams. I explored the city while he was in school, and then at night we would eat out and then go back to our hotel room for him to study. It was a nice few days, and we took an extra day to actually spend time together without studying or testing.

Soon we were celebrating the first anniversary of our imprint. We spent the night at our cliff, down in the cave, and it was sweet and simple. I enjoyed it, especially since we didn't exchange real gifts. We just spent the evening reminiscing over memories of our time together.

For Independence Day, Embry and I went up to his grandparents' house. It was nice to see his Zeke and Daniella, and we got to catch up with them a little earlier because Cassie wasn't heading up until the next morning.

"Embry, Leah!" Daniella called, stepping down from the front porch and hurrying over to us as we got out of the car. She collected us in a group hug, giving each of us a kiss on our cheeks, then pulled back to look us over. "It's so great to see you two!"

"It's good to see you, too, Mimi," Embry said, kissing her cheek.

She smiled at him, then promptly said, "Baby boy, get your things. You're coming with me, pretty girl." She took me by the arm and tugged me along up the stairs.

I was about to offer to help Embry, but she just tugged harder, pulling me into the house. "Really, Daniella, I can-"

"No," she said firmly, leading me into the house and to the kitchen, where Zeke was setting the table for dinner. "Ezekiel, the kids are here."

He looked up and smiled when he saw me, then put down his stack of plates and came to give me a hug. He pressed a light kiss to my forehead, then held me at arms length. "It's so nice to see you."

"It's great to see you, too, Zeke," I said, smiling at him brightly. He was the only father figure Embry had ever known, and I could always find glimpses of each of them in the other. "Dinner smells great."

"Why, thank you," he said, releasing me and playfully glaring at his wife. "Someone thought the both of you would have eaten before you arrived and that I was wasting my time."

"You would have killed me," Embry said, coming in. "Hey Gramps."

"Hey, son, get your things up that fast?"

Embry had an brief flash of panic on his face as he realized he shouldn't have gone so fast, then I cut in. "We hardly had anything. I wear most of his clothes when he doesn't."

_Have I ever mentioned that I love you? God, you have amazing timing. _Embry thought to me.

Zeke and Daniella shared a secret smile, then laughed. Daniella lifted herself up to sit on the counter, then grinned at Embry and I. "That sounds like when we were first married. I would go out of my way to wear his clothes."

Zeke smirked at his wife. "She would find reasons I had to take my shirt off and then she'd wear it."

"Well, Lee isn't that bad," Embry said, chuckling. "It's really just when we're sleeping or having a lazy day."

"Does Embry still snore?" Daniella asked, turning the teasing away from herself. "When he was a baby he could wake up the neighborhood snoring like a little old man."

"Mimi," he said, narrowing his eyes at her mockingly. "She doesn't have to know _everything_."

I crossed my arms and gave him a smirk. "He sounds like a chainsaw."

He scowled at me. "And you sleep through it so I don't understand why you're complaining."

"Not complaining, just informing."

The rest of the evening passed in the same fashion. We bickered and teased through dinner and dessert, then turned in, as it was quite late. I showered while Embry spent a few minutes with his grandparents, then I got into bed while he showered. I laid on my back, staring at the ceiling, thinking about the last time I laid in that bed. I secretly hoped we would run into the bitch Karma again, just so I could show her once and for all that Embry was mine and mine along, and possibly leave scratches on her face - from my wedding ring, of course.

"What are you plotting?" Embry asked, coming into the room with a towel around his waist.

I grinned, happily sharing my thoughts with him. "I want to make Karma cry."

He halted from digging through the duffle bag, raising an eyebrow. "What on _earth_ are you planning?"

"Nothing at all," I said innocently. "I'm just saying that if we happen to see her, there will be no misunderstandings. She made me cry, I'll make her cry."

"Baby, you can't hurt humans," he said seriously, but I could hear the withheld laughter in his voice.

"Not even a tiny scratch?" I begged jokingly.

He just shook his head and chuckled. "No, dear."

I groaned and rolled my eyes. "You sound old. You sound like your grandfather."

"I know that," he said, dumping the bag out. "Where the heck are my boxers?"

"Did you maybe put them on the dresser before you showered so you wouldn't have to look for them?"

His head snapped around, suddenly remembering. "Damn, I'm tired."

I laughed, rolling onto my tummy to take up as much space as possible. "Me, too."

Embry dressed, then left the room briefly to hang his towel up. When he came back, he turned the light off and sat down on the edge of the bed. "You're a bed hog."

"Yes, but that's because you get cuddly at night and if I stay on my side I end up on the edge of the bed because you press right up against me."

"Haven't you figured out that I just like touching you?" he asked, running a hand down my spine to emphasize his point. "And you don't end up on the edge, you end up on top of me, like _every night_."

"Well if you have a problem with that you can sleep in the floor," I suggested, smirking at him.

He raised an eyebrow, then broke into a grin. "I don't have a problem with that, and you know it. I just like messing with you. Though really, why are you sprawled out all over the bed?"

I thought for a moment. "Because you love me and I can do what I want."

Embry laughed at me, then leaned down to give me a kiss on the cheek. "You're crazy, beautiful. Can I please lay down, though?"

"Fine, but only because you asked nicely," I said, sliding over to one side.

"Thank you, oh generous one," he said, laying down and then pulling the covers up over us. "Are you tired?"

I shrugged, then I shifted close to him, taking one of his hands and pulling it over me.

"Who's cuddly now?" he teased, putting his hand on the small of my back.

"I just like the way you feel," I said, pressing my cheek against his bare chest. "I like a lot of things about you. Including that you're cuddly and the fact that you let me use you as a human body pillow."

Embry chuckled, then pulled me over on top of him. "I like it, too. Can I have a kiss?"

I looked up at him. "I don't know."

"Why not?"

"Because we're in your grandparents' house, and it's kind of weird now that I think about it."

"Being in my grandparents' house?" he asked, looking confused.

I bit my lip. _Think about it._

Embry's eyes went wide, then he started laughing, shaking my body. "I love you, Lee, but you are just so weird sometimes."

"Pot calling the kettle black here," I said, rolling off of him and facing away from him. "You're mean. I don't wanna kiss you or do anything else with you."

"Who's being mean now?" he teased, picking up on my joking. "Aw, Lee, you know I'm just joking. C'mon, come back over here."

I rolled onto my back, looking over at him with a blank expression.

He propped up on one arm and reached for me with the other. "C'mon."

"No. You're mean."

"_You're_ mean," he said, putting a hand on my stomach. "Come here, _please_."

"Since you asked politely," I said, making a show of rolling over and sighing heavily. "Yes?"

Embry just stared at me, then started laughing again. His laughter made me laugh, then we were just laying there, laughing like maniacs. I finally relented to his gentle tugging and cuddled up to him once again. I put a hand on his cheek and tenderly kissed his lips through our laughter.

"You haven't kissed me all day," I said softly, pulling back from the kiss, no longer laughing.

He touched my hand that was on his cheek. "I'm sorry, angel. Let me make it up to you."

I bit my lip tentatively as he moved in for another kiss, then gave into the happy tingles that were coursing through my body.

Zeke and Daniella let us sleep in quite late the next morning. When I asked why they didn't wake us up, they just said, 'you'll need the energy'. It was a little strange, but soon I understood.

The Calls had a large cookout with many guests. I was introduced to at least twenty people before all of the guests even arrived, and each and every one of them were amazed that I was 'little Embry's' wife. I met several people, young and old, and Embry's family members were finally becoming distinguishable to me. Cassie arrived shortly before everyone began to eat, greeting us quickly before being sucked into the crowd. We laughed and talked with many people, and I met some of Embry's childhood playmates. There was, however, a very unwelcome guest.

"Embry, dear, so nice to see you," an older woman said, smiling at Embry as she shook his hand. She turned to smile at me as well. "And you're little Embry's wife? You are so lovely, dear."

"Thank you, Mrs..?" I said, embarrassed that I didn't know the woman's name, despite the fact that she looked disturbingly familiar.

"Forester," she said, smiling and shaking my hand.

_Leah, I have to tell you something._ Embry thought, and he was obviously unsettled.

_What?_ I thought, worried.

_She's kind of-_

"Embry!" came a familiar voice.

None other than Karma showed up out of no where, smiling brightly at Embry.

_-Karma's mother…_ Embry thought. _This is about to go to hell._

_It is if she thinks she's going to get her hands on you_. I thought back, my smile never fading.

"I haven't seen you since Thanksgiving," Karma continued, smiling obliviously. "Oh, you're still with Lana? I thought she would have left you after she found out about us."

Mrs. Forester looked mortified at her daughter's words. "Karma!"

The younger woman got an innocent look on her face. "He wasn't honest with Lana. A woman deserves an honest man. Embry's always honest with me, except when he said he'd call, but I can overlook that."

"My name is _Leah_," I said, my smile now gone. "Embry was totally and completely honest with me, and if you don't leave my husband alone _now_ I'll have Zeke and Daniella make you leave."

"Maybe you do need to go home, dear," Mrs. Forester said, casting apologetic looks at Embry and I. "You didn't rest very well last night."

Karma was livid. She looked mad with jealousy, and I could tell things were about to get ugly. "Why didn't you tell me you were married? You owe me that much! How could you do what you did and then go and-"

Embry lost his temper. "I did _nothing_! I've never done anything to you! You're insane if you think there was or is anything between us, and you cannot insult me and embarrass my wife in front of everybody. I'm sorry, Mrs. Forester, but you're daughter is a bitch and a psychopath, and she needs to leave _now_." He was shaking hard, and I could tell he would phase if I didn't act fast.

"Karma, go home," Mrs. Forester said, red from embarrassment. "I'm so, _so _sorry."

"No!" Karma shrieked, looking like she was about to cry. "No, he's lying! _He's_ the psychopath and _she's_ the bitch!"

Everyone around was staring at the exchange, and Mrs. Forester and I were both very red in the face.

"Karma," Mrs. Forester said, her voice low and dangerous. "Go home. _Now_."

She shrieked something unintelligible, then her mother took her arm and led her away like a small child. Embry was vibrating, and I knew he was about to phase. I grabbed his arm and pulled him along into the woods behind the Calls' house.

He jerked away from me, then started running in human form, prolonging the time before he could phase and putting distance between us and the party. I followed him, grateful that I was faster than him. Finally, he couldn't hold himself back any longer, and he stripped naked in record time before exploding into his wolf form. I watched in terror as he threw his head back and howled at the top of his lungs.

"Embry, baby, calm down," I said softly, tentatively reaching out a hand to him.

He looked over at me, his teeth bared menacingly. He growled threateningly, then turned and ran full force at a tree. He ran at it over and over again, finally knocking it down from sheer force.

"You're scaring me," I managed to croak, paralyzed by an uncharacteristic fear, momentarily forgetting all I had to do to save the situation was phase.

Embry turned his head to me, his eyes losing their animosity. His body was sill heaving with labored breaths, but he seemed to be calming down. I took the opportunity to back up away from him slowly, giving him more space. I still held my hand out to him, waiting and hoping for him to calm down.

"Please," I whispered, staring intently into his large eyes.

Suddenly, he rose up on his back legs and phased down. He hung his head and began to gather his clothing, redressing in silence. Finally, he stepped towards me and tentatively touched my hand. "I'm sorry."

I swallowed hard, willing my fear to go away. "It's…"

"No, it's not okay," he said in a low voice before I could finish. "I don't know what got into me."

"It's okay," I said, slipping my fingers around his, gently tugging him to me. "I just don't like it when you're mad."

Embry stepped forward and touched my cheek with his free hand. "I love you so much, Leah."

I leaned in close to him, my lips hovering near his. "I love you, too, Embry."

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><p><strong>AN: Reviews? **

**~Sidney**


	6. Anger

**Again, it's been about two weeks. I'm so sorry about that. I've just been majorly busy with school stuff, and I was a little stuck for a bit on this chapter, because I kind of veered totally off of what I was aiming for, but - good news for my readers - that means the series will definitely be longer than it was going to be already, so if you're sick of me, I'm sorry. I don't own, and please review. If you want a sneak peek, say something and possibly maybe comment on it on the blog. Thanks!**

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><p>That night, we laid in the bed together, my head on his chest and his arms around me. We had taken a little while before coming back to the party, and Karma was gone by the time we arrived. Everyone pretended nothing had happened, and I was very happy about that. Embry's rarely seen temper had really frightened me, and I just wanted him to calm down.<p>

"Leah?" he asked, his voice so soft it was nearly silent.

"Hmmm?" was my response.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"Mhmm."

"Please talk to me," he begged, showing me his extreme guilt through our mind link, as if I couldn't already feel it.

I ran my hand over his hard abdomen. "You don't have to be sorry. I get mad sometimes, and you take care of me then, so I took care of you now."

He grasped my hand, lacing his fingers through mine. "I don't want you to be scared of me, and I don't want you to feel like it's your responsibility to take care of me when I'm mad."

I squeezed his fingers. "Embry, I love you, and it _is_ my responsibility to take care of you. I married you. I _chose_ you. I didn't have to love you, and you didn't have to love me, but we do love each other. For better or for worse, remember?"

"For better or for worse," he repeated softly. "You want me to rub your back?"

"Why?" I asked, almost laughing at him.

"Because you like it when I rub your back."

"I'm comfortable," I said softly, pulling our joined hands up so I could kiss his knuckles. "I'm content. Tomorrow, maybe."

Embry sighed, then gave my fingers another squeeze. "I love you, Leah."

We stayed for a bit longer with Zeke and Daniella. We spent time with his family and explored the area, but something was slightly off about him, and something felt different in me. Early Sunday morning, we packed up our things and loaded the car up. We had breakfast with Zeke and Daniella, then we went on our way back home. Embry had taken to grabbing at his shoulder, and on the drive home he kept rubbing his shoulder when he thought I wasn't looking. We got home and relaxed on the couch after putting a load of laundry in the machine, then he again grabbed his shoulder discreetly.

"What's wrong?" I finally asked, looking up from my place using his lap as a pillow.

"I'm fine," he said, pulling the collar of his t-shirt up fractionally.

I sat up, taking his hand away and pulling down the collar, revealing a dark purple bruise that disappeared under his shirt. "Is this from the tree? Just how hard did you hit it?"

"Hard enough," he mumbled, displeased with being caught.

"Shirt off, now," I said, getting up and going to the kitchen before he could say another word.

I gathered several cubes of ice in a dishrag and went back into the living room, placing the bundle on Embry's now bare shoulder. He shuddered from the cold, then relaxed into my touch. While he was calming down, I began to massage his neck and shoulders, loosening his stiff muscles and soothing his aches. I thought about my irrational fear from the woods a few days before. He couldn't hurt me, even if he wanted to, because my wolf was too strong and cunning to be defeated by his. I was more powerful simply because I was the alpha female. Embry would never hurt me anyway, so my fear in the ordeal was seeming sillier by the moment. I must have been momentarily distracted by the entire ordeal and simply forgotten the reasons I had not to fear.

"Are you feeling better?" I asked after a little while.

"Yeah," he said, turning his head slightly to kiss my hand. "Thank you."

I smiled to myself, feeling completely silly for my fear from before. "You're welcome."

The week passed strangely. While everything had gone back to normal for the most part, and while Embry was in a much better mood, I felt strange.

It started off small, just a light twinge of foreign emotion here or there at random. There was no apparent reason for the sudden amusement I would feel at things like a child mispronouncing a word, or the sadness I would feel seeing a person walking into the hospital - whether I knew why there were coming or not. By Thursday night dinner, my strangeness was becoming more noticeable. Mother made potato soup with bread bowls - my favorite - but I simply had no desire to eat. My appetite was nonexistent, and while I ate a bit, I didn't really taste or enjoy it. It didn't go unnoticed, but I saw no immediate issue with it. I just wasn't hungry.

Embry kept trying to convince me to eat later that night, but I felt fine. He would stop asking me how I was feeling, and I found myself annoyed at him.

"Are you sure you're not hungry, Leah?" he asked for the billionth time, leaning on the bathroom counter while I brushed my hair out. "I could get you some crackers, or I could make you a sundae."

"I'm fine," I said, amused at his worry, but annoyed at his constant questioning. "I'm not hungry, especially not for something so sweet."

Embry studied me for a moment, then took my hairbrush from my hands. He collected my hair in one hand and pulled it to one side, bending down to kiss my neck. I giggled at the tickle from his kiss, then I turned around at looked at him. In only a pair of boxers, hair still damp from his shower, he was most beautiful thing I'd ever seen, and he was all mine.

"I know what I do want, though," I said, putting my hands on the sides of his neck. "Kiss me."

He raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

I stepped close to him, grinning slyly. "Because I want you to kiss me."

"Whatever you want," he said, returning a grin before kissing me.

Early the next morning - two fifty-four, to be exact - I woke up with an appetite rivaling a starved body-builder. Embry was spooning me in his deep sleep, but he stirred when I shifted.

"Embry," I whispered, nudging him with my shoulder. "Embry?"

"Yeah?" he murmured, obviously still in the realms of unconsciousness.

"I'm hungry," I said, trying to get out from under his arm.

He sighed heavily. "Of course you are."

I chuckled, then lifted his arm off of me. "I'm going to get something to eat."

"Okay," he murmured, accepting my light kiss.

I got up from the bed and slipped into my robe. The early morning was silent, almost eerie, as I descended the steps. I put the container of soup my mother had insisted on sending home with me in the microwave, then went to get a glass of water. As I was reaching up to take a glass from the cabinet, the doorbell rang. I was frightened; we rarely had visitors, and never at this hour. I slowly crept out of the kitchen, picking up a broom that was leaning on the wall, as if I needed outward protection.

The bell rang again, just as I was reaching the door. I looked out the peephole and saw an older man who looked seemingly harmless, but there was no certainty in life - and that was a lesson I had learned long before.

I opened the door slightly, broom in sight of the visitor.

"Is this the Call residence?" the visitor asked, saving me from the awkward 'who are you and what do you want?' questioning.

"Who's asking?" I said, opening the door further. _Embry, now would be a fantastic time to wake up_.

"I'm Joshua Uley."

My heart nearly stopped, then I managed to shout, "Embry!"

He was downstairs in a minute, his robe thrown on hastily. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Son?" Joshua said, studying Embry with wide eyes.

Realization dawned on Embry's face, which morphed into a burning glare. "What do you want, Joshua?"

"To see my son," the older man said, his eyes raking over my husband. "You're all grown up. The last time I saw you, you were -"

"An unborn fetus inside an unknowing sixteen year old?" Embry supplied harshly, startling the man that was his father.

"I deserved that." Joshua took a deep breath. "Look at you. You're all grown up, and - is that little Leah Clearwater?"

I gulped, unpleasantly shocked that he remembered me from so long ago. "It's Call. I'm Embry's wife."

Embry put an arm out as if to protect me. "Don't talk to my wife. She's too good to talk to scum like you."

_It's okay_. I thought to him.

_No, I don't want him near you, Leah. I don't want him around _us_ at all. _

"I had to see you, Embry," Joshua said, turning his gaze back to my husband.

"Just tell me what you want, Joshua."

"The reason I'm here is to apologize. I just have to get it off my chest. I was never there for you, and I'm sorry."

Embry took a step back. "What are you really doing here? You're not sorry. If you had any real morale, you would have come a long time ago. No, I'm wrong. If you had any morale, you would have never impregnated a _little girl_. She was a _little girl_. You used her and left her to fend for herself, to be a mother at _sixteen_. You don't have to apologize. Apologize to that _little girl_ that was both a mother and father to me. Apologize to that _little girl_ that gave up her childhood in order to give me a childhood that I could remember happily. Apologize to that _little girl_ that has taken responsibility for my life since I was born, who has done everything she can for me, and who is the single most amazing mother in the _world_. You have nothing to apologize to me for. You will _never_ be able to apologize enough to my mother."

"Embry, please, I -"

"Get off of my property. Get out of La Push. Better yet, get out of Washington. I'm sure you have plenty of illegitimate children elsewhere that you can beg for forgiveness from. You're not getting it here."

Joshua Uley's expression did not change. "I suppose not."

I touched a trembling Embry on the shoulder. _Please calm down._ "Leave, Joshua. If you know what's good for you, you'll stay away, too."

Joshua Uley gave a light nod, said, "Goodbye, son," and turned around and walked away.

I stepped around Embry and closed the door before he could make a move. I put my back to the door and looked up into his face, waiting for something to happen.

"I've been working on that speech since I was twelve," he said quietly.

"Are you okay?" I asked softly, reaching up to tentatively touch his shoulder, where I knew the faint remains of a bruise lingered under his robe.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. "I think I need to phase."

"But you're not even shaking."

Embry opened his eyes and looked down upon my face with a desperate expression. "_Leah_. I need to do _something_."

"Talk to me," I begged, gently moving my hands to his cheeks. "Please, I'm here for you."

"I can't," he croaked, his eyes glittering. "I've said all I have to say."

I studied his face, then I showed him an image of me holding him. "Please."

Embry suddenly collapsed in the floor in front of me. I saw tears streaming down his face. "How could he?"

I knelt down and pulled him into my arms, kissing his head. "It's okay."

"How _could_ he?" he repeated, wrapping his arms around my waist and crying angrily into my shoulder. "_Why_ would he? I'm happy, damn it! I don't need him! Why would he just show up?"

"I don't know," I said softly, stroking his back. "I'm sorry."

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><p><strong>AN: Reviews, anyone? Also - following a debate I encountered - I gladly accept constructive criticism, so feel free to be critical if you like. I want no confusion here - I **_**like**_** criticism. It makes me a better writer. Thanks! **

**~Sidney**

**PS - Who saw **_**Abduction**_**?**


	7. News

**Happy Tuesday! I'm hyped because it's Homecoming Week at my school, and it's like a free-for-all insanity fest. Anyway, I own nada, and I'd appreciate reviews. Also, I know I'm mean.**

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><p>I woke up in my bed, surprisingly. It was late in the morning, and Embry was facing away from me. His breathing was even, and I thought he was asleep.<p>

"Embry, wake -" I began softly, but was cut off.

"I'm awake," he said lowly.

"Are you okay?" I tried, even though I knew the answer.

He sighed heavily. "I will be. I called in sick to work today. I called Carlisle and told him you were sleeping in and might not make it in, and that it was my fault."

I propped up on one arm to look over at him. I slid closer to him and peered down at the side of his face, then I felt my heart break. He was crying, and I hadn't even realized it. "Bry, c'mere."

Embry rolled over slowly and looked at me. "I'm sorry."

"No, baby," I said softly, cupping his wet cheek. "Don't be sorry. Come here, come to me."

He leaned his face close to mine, then came into my open and welcome arms. His head ended up on my stomach, and we laid there for a long time with him crying to me. His angry tears were gone, and this was now bitter, sad tears. He felt betrayed at Joshua coming out of no where, and he was giving into the fact that he now had proof that his father was simply an inconsiderate bastard. He had done his angry crying at three in the morning, and he had done a lot of that. Now not so much. It wasn't long before he was sitting up, wiping his eyes and apologizing.

"I-I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm letting him showing up get to me," Embry said, turning away from me.

I sat up and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, kissing his neck tenderly. "Don't be. I'm always here for you. I'll always be right here."

"I know," he said softly, standing and slipping from my embrace. "I'm going to go... I don't know. I put up your snack from this morning when you passed out. Do you want it?"

"Nah; we should probably go run, though," I said, an annoyed sensation creeping into my mind at the realization that we had to patrol. "I'll call in for a personal day. Maybe I'll trade shifts with a person or something."

"Running is good. Running will help," he said, turning around. "Let's go."

A few minutes later, we were wolves, running through La Push at top speed. The wind felt good in my fur, and Embry was really blowing off steam. Finally, after we had assured the area was safe, we went back home. He insisted I have the shower first, and when I was done, there was food waiting for me, along with a little note from Embry, who slipped upstairs sneakily before I could see him.

_I love you, my beautiful Leah. _

It was simple and sweet, and I felt my heart warm.

I called in before Embry got out of the shower. I arranged to pick up a few overtime hours by working in place of a night nurse who was going to be two hours late all week because her daughter was too sick for daycare and her husband didn't get off of work until later in the afternoon. When Embry got out of the shower, he had a determined look on his face.

"I have to tell Mom," he said, his jaw set.

"Do you need me to go with you?" I asked tentatively, though I knew the answer.

"I think I need to do this on my own," he said, and I nodded.

"Okay. Take your time," I said encouragingly.

Embry gave a nod, then walked past me towards the front door.

"And Embry?" I added, my mouth saying the words before I had to give a thought.

"Yeah?"

I walked up to him and touched his cheek softly. "I love you. You know that?"

He gave the smallest of smiles. "I know that. I love you, too." He kissed my forehead, then walked away.

I busied myself cleaning around the house, trying to keep my mind off of things. After a while, there was a knock at the door, and I opened it to reveal Emily.

"Joshua came last night," she said suddenly, looking as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders at the words.

"He came here, too," I said, letting her in. "Where's Via?"

"Probably still on Sam's chest," she said, dropping onto the couch. "I left to give him some space."

"Embry just went to tell Cassie. I'll tell you my story if you tell me yours," I said, sitting next to her, leaning back in exhaustion.

She nodded, then leaned back as well. "It had to be midnight when the doorbell rang, and Via was already fussy, so she started screaming. She screamed louder when Sam tried to give her to me, so I got the door. Sam was coming up behind me as Joshua was introducing himself to me. Sam looked at Joshua over Via's head, held her closer, then turned and walked away. After convincing Joshua to leave, I found Sam in the nursery, rocking Via and talking to her. She fell asleep on his chest and he hasn't let go of her. I think she's the only think keeping him from killing Joshua."

I took a deep breath, then told her what had happened, editing out the parts where he cried. Some things were sacred and secret, and my husband crying was one of them. I wondered how he was doing with Cassie, unfairly hoping that he would share all that happened later on.

**Embry POV**

How dare he.

Hadn't he done enough to the world? Hadn't he cursed enough people with his selfish intentions? Why did he have to come back?

My Leah had comforted me for so long. She'd held me in my moment of weakness, allowing me to cry to her and be angry with the world. She was perfect, and I was a bastard child.

Until Joshua Uley had knocked on my door, I hadn't thought that about myself in a long time. One year and ten days to be exact. Who was he to take that away from me?

I was standing in front of my childhood home before I could register a thought. I felt a fresh wave of fury as I thought of the effort my mother put in to make the little old house a home for she and myself. Before I could change my mind, my fist was raised and knocking on the door.

"Hey, baby boy," my mother said, looking pleasantly surprised as she opened the door. "I was just heading to work. Wait, why aren't you at work? Where's Leah? Is everything okay?"

"Mom, I have to talk to you," I said seriously, stepping into the house. "It's important."

"Okay, baby boy," she said, taking my shaking hand in hers.

We sat down on the couch together, and I took her delicate hands in mine. I looked down shame overtaking me. "Mom, Joshua Uley came to see me early this morning."

She was eerily silent for a long moment. "What did he want?"

"I don't know," I said, my voice shaking. "I didn't give him a chance to say. I -" - my voice broke - "- I told him that he was worthless. That you were my only parent. I just…had to tell you."

I looked up to see tears in my mother's eyes. "Embry, I love you so much, and I'm glad that you were able to get everything off your chest, but you don't have to place all the blame on him. I was irr-"

"No, Mom," I said firmly, certain about this one thing. "You were perfect. You did so much for me. You took responsibility, and I couldn't have had a better life with you. He left you. He left _us_, and I can't let him get away with that."

"He wasn't ours to keep in the first place, baby boy," she said, reaching out to take my face in her hands, thumbing away the tears under my eyes. "He's your father. I never meant to make you to feel like you couldn't talk to him when or if he came back."

I shook my head. "No, he's not my father. Biologically, sure, but he's never going to be a father to me. I made my opinion about that when I was a kid. I had to tell you he came back though. I owe it to you after everything you've done for me."

Mom's lip trembled, then she slid her arms around me, cradling me like a baby. I could hear her heartbeat even better than when I was little since I was a wolf, and I felt my anger melting away. I could feel her tears dropping onto my head, and I couldn't make myself look at her face.

"I love you so much, baby boy," she said, sniffling.

"I love you, too, Mom," I said softly, feeling my own tears spilling over once again.

**Leah POV**

I had just finished telling Emily about Joshua's visit to my house. We were leaning on each other on the couch when I began to get thirsty.

"I'm going to go get some water," I said, sitting up. "Want anything?"

"I'm fine," she said, readjusting to the space.

I stood up, then all of a sudden, a heavy wave of nausea hit me. I felt sweat beading on my forehead, then another wave hit. One hand flew to my mouth and the other touched my stomach, my body swaying dangerously.

"Are you okay?" Emily asked, jumping up quickly.

I closed my eyes, then - as quickly as it came - the nausea left. "I think."

"What happened?" she asked, taking my hands.

"I got nauseous," I said, very confused and disoriented.

"Sit down, I'll get you some water," she said, rushing to the kitchen. When she came back, she sat next to me, looking worried. "What's wrong?"

I shrugged, sipping the water. "I don't know. I've been off lately."

Emily raised an eyebrow. "'Off' how?"

"I don't know," I said, thinking back. "Well, I've been kind of loopy. I'm having random emotions a lot. My appetite's been funny, too. I'm either not hungry at all or I'm starving. Now I'm nauseous. I think I'm going crazy or something."

My cousin laughed, a smile growing on her face. "You almost sound pregnant."

I gaped at her, automatically launching into a montage of the memories of the past week. It all made sense, but it was silly. "Okay, you're losing it. Maybe you're pregnant."

"Not possible. I'm not having another baby for a long, long time," she said, shaking her head. "There's a pill for that now, did you know?"

"I think I heard something of the sort," I said, rolling my eyes. "I'm just tired or something. I've had weird symptoms before. It's probably just everything with Embry."

Emily shrugged. "Whatever you say, Lenny. I know you think it's impossible, but don't rule it out."

"Whatever, Emmy," I said, leaning back and closing my eyes, willing the fantasies to go away.

Embry got home a little while later, and Emily excused herself.

"Em," Embry said, catching her arm. "You and Sam come over later. I-I want to talk to my brother."

"We'll come," Emily said, nodding. "I'll see you both later."

The afternoon passed slowly, and when Sam and Emily arrived, Sam and Embry went outside to talk. Sam had a sleeping Via in his arms, and was reluctant to give her to Emily. He gave in finally, and Emily and I sat in the kitchen, talking quietly.

"Are you feeling better?" she asked.

"I'm fine," I said, rolling my eyes. "I got dizzy."

"Leah, why are you so quick to rule out being pregnant?" she asked, pouting.

I gave her a hard look. "Because I'm not. I'd know it if I was. I'm just stressed out."

Emily dropped the subject, but I could tell she wanted to say more.

The weekend passed in a blur of sleep and emotion. Emily's words never left my mind, and I was giving myself a headache thinking about my 'symptoms' so much. My appetite was up and down over the weekend, and I slept in odd patterns - though Embry was to blame with that one. I didn't mind losing sleep for him, though. I was glad to be his comfort after he had been my comfort for so long and for so many things. He was getting happier, pushing Joshua into the back of his mind. He was accepting things for what they were. In a matter of days, he was his old self. I was happy that he was happy.

Something kept nagging at me, though. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense.

I couldn't help it. The curiosity had gotten the better of me.

Tuesday, I stopped Carlisle in the hall at the hospital. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead, Leah," he said, smiling kindly.

"Would a… Would a pregnancy test work for me? Like the store bought kind? Even though I'm…like I am?" I asked nervously, in a low voice.

His smile grew slightly. "Do you think that you might be pregnant, Leah?"

I shrugged. "It's just a question. A hypothetical question."

"Well, I can do a blood test for you, if you think you are."

"I just want to know if the test would work," I insisted, looking for an out.

"Pregnancy hormones are pregnancy hormones. All the test does is find them."

"So it would work?" I pushed.

Carlisle nodded. "Yes, it would. Are you sure there's nothing I can do?"

I shook my head. "It's a hypothetical question."

Wednesday, I worked up my nerve. I stopped by the drugstore on the way home from work.

I was going to take a pregnancy test.

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><p><strong>AN: Again, I'm mean. I love cliffhangers, and after all the reviews I've been getting demanding, "IS SHE PREGNANT?" (slightly exaggerated there…), I figured it would be the perfect ending to this chapter. Review, so you can get your answer sooner! **

**~Sidney**


	8. Numbness

**New chapter! If I get good feedback on this chapter, I'm going to post the end this weekend, so review review review! The next installment, 'Trying' will be posted some time in the next week or so. Before Halloween, at least. I don't own, and please review! So this is your answer…**

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><p>"Home!" Embry called, walking through the front door. "Where are you, beautiful?"<p>

I was sitting in the living room, on the couch. My knees were tucked into my chest, and I was fighting tears harder than I ever had. I managed - in a strangled voice - to call back, "I'm in here."

He was there in a second, kneeling in front of me. "What's wrong, Leah?"

I lifted my hand, showing him that I held four pregnancy tests, all with the exact same result. I had bought the kind that said the words instead of giving you an answer key that made you that much more nervous. Now, I regretted that.

Embry held his breath as he took the tests from my hand, then looked down at the words that had been taunting me. _Not pregnant. Not pregnant. Not pregnant. Not pregnant. _"Not pregnant."

"Not pregnant," I repeated back to him, wanting nothing more than to fall apart.

"Did you… Did you think you were pregnant, Lee?" he asked, looking confused, and like he was feeling my intense pain.

I choked back the tears as I whispered back softly, "I hoped."

"W-Why didn't you say something," he asked, his eyes glistening.

"Because I knew it was impossible," I managed, choking back a sob. "But I've been off lately, and then Emily s-said it sounded like I was p-pregnant. I just had to know for sure."

Embry dropped the tests and wrapped his arms around me. "I…I was going to say something, too, but I didn't want to hurt your feelings, and then Joshua showed up and everything went to hell."

I cracked a little, letting out a few whimpers from my effort to hold back tears.

"I hoped, too," he confessed, and I heard his voice cracking. "I just… I was so sure."

"I'm sorry," I whispered, then I fell apart in his arms.

I cried longer than I had in a long time. I didn't realize how much the imaginary baby had meant to me, and how much I was convinced that he or she was really there. The repressed sobs began to bubble up in my throat, and I shook with each and every one. All I wanted to do was curl up and die in shame.

"Don't be sorry," Embry croaked, then he began to cry, too.

In my memory, we had never cried together in sadness. It was always happy tears between us. Now things were different. We were sharing a mutual sadness. A mutual loss of something - no, some_one_ - that had never even existed.

The tears never stopped, even after the sobs did. Tears were in my eyes as I excused myself, picking up the tests from the floor and going upstairs to our bedroom. I put them back in the empty box, then put it in the trash can in the bathroom. I cried more in the shower, this time out of shame of hurting Embry. He had the utmost confidence that we could have a child, and I'd proven him wrong in the most hurtful way possible, without even meaning to. I dressed slowly and then laid down in bed, facing away from Embry's side. Moments later, he came into the room, laying down behind me and spooning me, holding me close and whispering sweet nothings into my hair.

"I love you so much, my beautiful Leah. Please, don't feel guilty," he murmured, his hand resting on my thigh. "I don't want this to hurt us anymore."

Tears continued to drip from my eyes as Embry's hand came to rest on my stomach. My body wracked with a silent sob, but I couldn't bring myself to push him away. I needed him, if only as a presence.

"I just want for us to be happy."

I cried myself to sleep that night.

The next day, I was - in simplest words - a zombie. My coworkers could tell, the children could tell, and - when dinner came - the parents could tell. I was silent through dinner, and Embry only spoke a little bit. When instead of volunteering or excusing myself to clean up I simply stood from the table and held my hands out for the others' empty dishes, my mother pulled me into the kitchen.

"Sweetheart," she said softly, taking my face in her hands. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I said, but my voice was scratchy.

"You haven't said a thing, and you didn't even pretend to eat. At least last week you pushed your food around a bit."

I shrugged, trying to pull away to get to cleaning.

"Leah, something's wrong," she said softly, catching me. "Did you and Embry have a fight."

I shook my head, swallowing hard.

"Emily told me you've been sick," she said, brushing my hair back from my face. "Do you need to see Dr. Cullen?"

_No_. I couldn't possibly look him in the eye. He knew it wasn't a hypothetical question when I asked about the pregnancy test. He would be sympathetic, and that might possible kill me. "No."

Mom turned my head and forced me to look her in the eye. "Sweetheart, I'm worried about you."

"I'm fine, Mom," I managed in a strangled whisper, then I managed to completely pull away from her.

I fought tears as I washed the dishes, wanting nothing more than to disappear. I should have faked being sick. Of course my mother would have known something was wrong. A comatose patient would have known something was wrong.

"Embry, can I talk to you for a minute?" Seth asked in a hushed voice.

"Yeah, sure," Embry said, and I could hear the chairs scraping as the two stood up.

They walked outside, and I listened as they spoke.

"I'd really rather hear about whatever's happened between you too from you personally, not the pack mind," Seth said. "So what's up with you guys?"

"It's…something I don't feel comfortable talking about without Leah's permission.," Embry said, and I could hear him kicking dirt.

_Tell him_. I thought to him.

"But I'll tell you."

"Well, what is it?" Seth asked nervously.

Embry was quiet for a long moment. "Leah's been sick lately, and she - _we_ - thought she was pregnant. We didn't say anything to each other, though. Yesterday she took a pregnancy test and it came up negative, and she's taking it really hard." He lowered his voice, obviously thinking I couldn't hear him. "I'm taking it really hard."

Seth was silent. "I…don't know what to say. I'm sorry, man. I know how much it means to you guys."

"I'm worried about her," Embry said softly. "She cried herself to sleep last night. She hasn't even looked me in the eye today. I want to help, but I just don't know how."

"If anyone can get her to let others in it would be you, bro," Seth said. "If you can't, no one can. I wish I had better advice, but I'm a sixteen year old virgin with no girlfriend and a wolf of an alter ego."

Embry gave a short laugh. "Thanks, man."

"No problem."

A solitary tear ran down my cheek.

As we left for the evening, Seth pulled me into a snug embrace, kissing my cheek and murmuring in my ear, "I love you, Lee."

"I love you, too, Sethy," I whispered, squeezing him.

It took all of my energy to refrain from crying myself to sleep again.

Early the next morning, we ran patrols. I blocked my mind completely, focusing on my feet and the path I was following. The morning was clear for once, and it made me sick to think that I was so depressed on such a bright day.

At the hospital, everyone was cautious around me, as if I would break at the littlest thing. I felt so guilty that I was worrying everyone, but I couldn't put on a happy face. I did my work, helped where help was needed, and I didn't talk more than was necessary.

I was on break in the empty staff lounge when Carlisle came in and sat across from me.

"Leah, are you okay?" he asked in a low voice, looking intently into my eyes.

"I'll be fine," I replied in a soft whisper.

"You're not pregnant, are you?" he said, sounding solemn.

I shook my head, feeling tears burning behind my eyes. I refused to let them free.

"I'm so sorry, dear."

I shrugged a shoulder. "What's there to be sorry for? I knew I couldn't have children. I was setting myself up for heartbreak."

Carlisle's expression looked pained. "Leah, that's an unhealthy way to think."

"It is what it is," I said, standing up. "Don't tell my stepsister."

"Maybe you need someone to talk to," he persisted. "I have a friend who -"

"I'll be fine."

Embry was determined to be cheerful. He picked me up from work and took me out to eat at the diner. He chatted happily and told me all about work and that Jacob was planning a bonfire for the next weekend. I could tell he was still hurting, though. I could feel it. It made my pain even worse, which made his pain worse. It was an endless loop of passing along pain.

"I'm going to shower," I said as we arrived home. "I've had a long day."

"Okay," Embry said, looking disappointed.

I didn't stick around long enough to figure out what about, though I had a hunch. After a long, hot shower, I dressed and went into the bedroom, intending on turning in for the night. Embry obviously had a different plan. He accosted me the instant I came in, wrapping his arms around me and kissing me for all I was worth. He picked me up from the ground and carried me to be bed, giving me one last kiss before laying me down and having me roll over.

"I'm giving you a massage," he announced, straddling my lower back and sitting back on his knees.

"Why?" I asked, honestly not as excited about the idea as I would have been mere days ago.

"I haven't gotten to do that in a while and you've been really stressed," he said, sliding his hands under my shirt.

I was still skeptical. "Why would you want to, though? Look, you don't have to do this. I just want to go to sleep."

Embry bent down and kissed the back of my neck. "Just relax and let me take care of you, okay?"

"Look, Bry, I'm _really_ tired, okay? Another night, please," I said, making a bitch of myself in my attempts to lock him out.

He stilled over me and got up from the bed, kneeling down so he could see my face. "Leah, stop being so resilient, _please_."

"I've had a long week, babe. I just want some sleep."

"Please, just talk to me," he begged, leaning his face close to mine.

I swallowed hard. He wasn't going to let this go. "About what?"

"About the baby!" he growled, backing away from me and completely catching me off guard. "I mean… I mean the baby we _thought _we had."

I sat up slowly, my eyes burning. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Then how are we supposed to make this better? Don't you see that I'm worried about you?" Embry grasped my hands in his, looking intently into my eyes.

I gaped at him. "You should be furious at me! You should think I'm a horrible person for crushing your hopes and confirming our worst fears, okay?"

Embry grasped my hands. "Baby, I'm not angry at you. I'm _worried_ about you. You've been taking this so hard and I'm worried."

"It's been two days," I said, squeezing my eyes shut. "It's been two days since my worse fear came true. Of course I'm taking it hard. This is going to stay with me for a long time, Embry!"

"Please, talk to me about it," he begged, pulling my hands up to his chest. "Leah, we _need_ to talk about it."

Those pesky tears just love making an entrance. "I can't." My voice broke. "I don't want this to be real. I just…want to rewind the last few years."

Embry's eyes were full of tears. "What are you saying, Leah?"

"I'm saying I want my life back," I said, hot tears cascading freely down my cheeks. "I want my daddy back, and I want physical proof there's a chance to have a baby. I want Seth to be a real sixteen year old. I just want…"

"You don't want to be a wolf." It wasn't a question.

"I want for someone to understand what it's like to lose everything, or to never have lost anything at all. I just want to be _normal_."

He was staring at me, and a single tear was rolling down his cheek. "You don't want me?"

I suddenly realized what not wanting to be a wolf entailed. "I didn't say that."

"But you don't want to be a wolf, and you wouldn't be with me if you weren't a wolf."

"You don't know that! I fell in love with you when I got to know you, not when the so called fates threw us together."

"Leah, admit it - you wouldn't have given me a second glance if we hadn't imprinted."

This was becoming an ugly argument, and fast. "Embry, no! How did this turn to me not loving you?"

He was breathing hard, growing angry. "I don't know. I just… I'm hurting, too. It's my problem, too! I wanted that baby to be real, too, Lee. I want to have children with you, and you're acting like it's just your problem."

"I'm not," I insisted. "I just don't like talking about things that make -"

"You sad," Embry supplied solemnly. "We need to talk about this."

I closed my eyes against the tears that continued to pour. "I'm not ready to talk about it."

There was a long silence. "Baby, please."

"You just don't understand."

"Understand what?"

"How much I'm hurting."

Embry put my hands over his heart, pressing on them. "I _feel_ it. I understand."

I shook my head. "You feel it, but you don't understand. Not completely."

"Leah, we need to make this right. We _need_ to talk, _please_."

"I'm just not ready." My voice was a whimper, nearly drowned out by the tears overtaking me. "I'm sorry." My words were nearly inaudible. "I love you."

Embry bowed his head, his shoulders shaking. He kissed my hands, and I could feel his tears falling. His voice was cracking as he whispered, "I love you, too."

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><p><strong>AN: Don't kill me! I swear, at some point before this series ends, Embry and Leah will be parents. Won't say how, but they will be, I promise. Reviews?**

**~Sidney**


	9. A Simple Cure

**And here's the last chapter of Weaving! I don't own, yada yada yada, reviews, yada yada yada. Look out for Trying, coming soon. Also, what are you dressing up as for Halloween? Tomorrow, for extra credit, I'm going to school dressed as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (weird, I know). Anyway, on to the story!**

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><p>I woke up the next morning alone. It wasn't surprising, as I'd cried myself to sleep when Embry locked himself in the bathroom - to shower, he said, but I could hear him crying. I didn't expect him to come to bed with me after the events of the last few days. My eyes were still wet, making me realize I had been crying in my sleep. Remembering my dream, it was no surprise.<p>

It was Wednesday, and I was back in the bathroom, sitting on the counter and tapping my nails in time to the ticking clock. There was still a minute to wait, and I thought my heart would explode. Finally, the second hand passed the twelve again, and it was time to learn if I was really carrying Embry's child.

I lifted the first test, not knowing what to expect. _Not pregnant_. My heart dropped, then a little voice reminded me that there was still room for error, and that there were three more chances. The second test was lifted - _not pregnant._ The little voice was still encouraging me. My hands were shaking as I lifted the third test. _Not pregnant._ The little voice was having a panic attack, and I felt like I would be sick. The fourth test was in my shaking hand in a second. The results were still being calculated - there was still a chance! The letters started to appear, and for one beautiful moment, I read the word _pregnant_ before the taunting _not_ appeared on the minuscule screen. The voice was screaming every expletive known to man. My heart was breaking into a million tiny pieces.

Remembering the dream and the actual day, I felt like crying again. Embry had every right to be furious with me, but I wanted nothing more than to be in his arms. Even when my heart was breaking, he was a reminder that there was some good in the world. A world that would be deprived of his children. A world that took away my loves and desires.

There was a soft knock on the door.

"Come in," I said softly, knowing that if it was someone I really wanted to see, they could hear me.

When Rosalie walked in, I was surprised. I'd been expecting my husband. "Oh, Leah." She rushed to me, kneeling beside my bed and reaching up to brush the old tears from my eyes. "Embry called me this morning. He said you needed a friend."

I scooted over to Embry's side of the bed, making room for her to climb up and wrap a marble arm around me. My head rested on her collarbone, and I felt new tears. "I-I found something out."

"What?" she asked, stroking my knotted hair in a motherly way. So no one had told her.

"I…took a test. A p-pregnancy test."

She stilled. "Oh, my gosh…"

"It was negative," I said, my voice breaking as I started crying again. Retelling it was even worse, especially to my only friend that could possibly understand.

"No, no, no…" Rosalie murmured, hugging me as I cried. "Leah, hate that for you."

I choked on my sobs. "And then I kept pushing Embry away and fighting him, and now all I want is to curl up and die. I hurt him and now I won't even let him in."

"How did you hurt him?"

"He wants a baby, too, and he's always been sure that he could get me pregnant, now we know he can't and I told him by giving him the tests."

"Ouch."

"Yeah."

Rosalie let me cry it out a little longer, then got up and set to work going through my clothes. When I demanded what she was doing, she smiled. "I'm getting you out of your funk. I can tell you from personal experience - it gets easier. I know you're sad, but life goes on, and maybe it was just negative this time. You have forever to have a baby, but you're still a newlywed, so act like a newlywed and get pretty for your husband. I talked to him earlier, and he's not mad at you. He's worried, and that makes you feel bad, which makes him feel worse, and then you just end up hurting each other with your own hurt. I love you, Lee, but you can be so dense sometimes."

I gave her a little smile. "I love you, too, Rose."

"Then get your butt out of bed and let me play Barbie doll. Alice isn't the only one get's all the fun."

I kicked off the covers and got up.

Rosalie wrinkled her nose at my ensemble of boy shorts and a shirt of Embry's. "You do know you sleep like a boy, right? Underwear and a t-shirt, really?"

"Yes, really," I said, crossing my arms and leaning onto one hip. "I don't have to dress up for him _all_ the time."

"And you dress down in here? I'll never understand you wolves."

In just a few moments, I was dressed and sitting at my vanity while Rosalie applied a light touch of makeup to my skin. I was red and blotchy from constantly crying and fighting tears for the last three days, and she was determined to make it go away.

"Sometimes just pretending to be happy can actually make you happy, especially if it's making someone you love happy," she was saying, applying a brush of bronzer to my cheeks. "Now you have a 'happy' glow. Smile."

I obeyed.

"Good. Now smiled with your eyes."

"What do you mean?"

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "I mean, your face says 'happy' but your eyes are hollow and sad."

"I _feel_ hollow and sad," I said, wondering how on earth she wasn't getting it.

"Think of something happy. Think of something that always makes you smile, no matter how sad you feel."

I thought back, searching through every memory. Then it reached the morning after our wedding, so recent, yet so long ago.

"_You're so gorgeous," Embry murmured sleepily into my hair. _

_I smiled from my place on his chest, my eyes drifting to the window, where the rare sunlight was streaming into the room. "I'm so happy I want to cry." _

"_I know, beautiful. I can feel it," he said, rubbing my bare back. "I'm never going to go a night without sleeping right next to you." _

"_I know," I said, sighing happily. "I love you." _

"_I love you, too." _

"Now those are happy eyes," Rosalie said, startling me.

I could feel myself smiling, and my heart soared as I realized I hadn't slept alone. Embry wouldn't do that, no matter how badly I treated him. Bed was our sanctuary, our peaceful bubble where nothing could hurt us. Just being near each other made it special. "Yeah, they are."

"Now get out there and make up with your husband."

"Okay."

Rosalie had to lead me out, as my legs had turned to gelatin. When we got to the bottom of the stairs and my eyes locked with Embry's - who was pacing around the living room -, she said a quick goodbye and was gone in an instant.

"Good morning," Embry said, not blinking as he slowly swept his eyes over my body.

"Morning," I returned dumbly, waiting for him to start a conversation.

He stepped forward slowly, then held out a hand for me. I tentatively reached for it, then was gently tugged against his body. "I'm so sorry, angel."

"No, I'm sorry," I breathed against his chest, squeezing him. "I didn't mean to hurt you, Bry."

"I didn't mean to upset you," he replied softly, pressing his lips into my hair. "I guess this is going to be something we have to be patient with."

"No, you deserve to know," I murmured, looking up into his eyes. "I want to be open with you. I'm just scared."

Embry squeezed me tightly, swaying slightly. "I know. I am, too."

I leaned up and we shared a chaste kiss, then I grinned. "Let's talk. We should talk and fix this all. I just want things to be normal again."

"Things are never normal for us," he murmured, grinning back at me. "But we should talk. I shouldn't have pushed you so hard, but we really do need to talk."

"I know."

And talk we did. For a long time. We shared every thought we had had in the last few days, we revealed conversations we'd had with others, and we mourned our loss of hope together.

"I'm sorry," I said softly, for the billionth time.

"What are you sorry for, babe?" Embry asked, cradling me in his arms.

I looked away bashfully. "Well, you were so sure that we could have a child together, but now it's obvious that it's not possible. I'm sorry I can't give you a child."

"Leah, I love you," he said firmly. "I'm only sad that we can't share the experience of having a child. Do you not realize that I've been thinking the same thing? I feel like this could be my fault, too."

I looked up suddenly. "How?"

Embry looked down upon my face, his eyes full of sorrow. "I feel like I'm just not good enough. You're perfect, and I feel like I just don't measure up to what you need. Like I'm just here because the real men were already taken."

"Bry, no," I said, my hand flying to touch his cheek. "It can't be you're fault. I'm just not…equipped anymore. I haven't had a hormonal cycle in years, since I phased. If that isn't an indicator, I don't know what is."

"I just don't want to think it's impossible," he said in a whisper. "I want a baby, Leah."

"I do, too," I whispered back, tears slowly forming in my eyes. "I want a little baby that has your smile and your heart, and that we can spoil and love and raise together."

He kissed my lips softly. "I want it, too. I want to give you so much."

I held his face in my hands. "You have given me so much, Embry. I love you _so much_."

"I love you more," he murmured, ending the conversation with a kiss that lasted for what felt like an eternity.

The weekend was spent much like our honeymoon. We isolated ourselves from the world, taking time for ourselves. Everything wasn't fixed, but it was getting there, and we were beginning to get back to our normal selves.

Over the week, I grew steadily happier. I was still sad, in the back of my mind, but it was slowly getting easier to deal with. Wednesday, a week after the 'incident', Emily called and asked if Embry and I could baby-sit Via Friday night until ten. She and Sam were going on their first official night out since she was born. After teasing her about being an old biddy, I accepted, excited about having my niece for a night. I told Embry, and he was excited, too. She was a little bundle of joy and amusement, and we had never had her to ourselves.

Friday night came, and I picked up Via from Sam and Emily's. She was so excited at seeing me that she didn't put up a fuss to being taken away from her mommy and daddy, and babbled the whole ride to my house. Embry was cooking dinner when I got home, but took a minute to hug and kiss the baby before going back to cooking. I stared heating Via's bottle, then fed her while Embry finished our dinner. I put her in her bouncing chair while we ate, and she happily bounced herself, kicking and giggling. I cleaned up while Embry took a turn with her, playing tickle monster on a blanket on the floor. She just kept giggling, kicking her tiny feet and grabbing at Embry's hands with her own miniscule ones.

When it came time to bathe her in the sink, it was a whole adventure in itself. Via was squirmy when it came time to bathe, and she kept splashing at us as we tried to get her clean. Finally, after reading the list Emily had given us with tips for any problems we might encounter, we learned she would behave better if we used the hand sprayer in the sink to gently wet her, instead of a bath cloth. She behaved after that, enjoying the light sprinkle of water.

Bedtime was easy. Via was tired out after her evening playing with us, and happily tucked herself into my chest as I slowly rocked her. Via was a beautiful baby, of course, but looking at her while she slept was a whole other thing. Her perfect black ringlets framed her face like a halo, and her caramel colored skin was soft and glowing. She had a perfect little button nose and pink lips, which puckered as she slept. Her wide brown eyes were closed, her delicate eyelashes falling to brush over her cheeks. It was a sight to behold, and when I looked up, Embry was watching her as well.

Via may have only been our goddaughter, but she was perfect in our eyes.

"She may be the closest we have to a child of our own," I said sadly, my heart aching as I realized I may never experience this with my own child. "She's beautiful."

"She really is," Embry said softly, reaching over to brush a lock of her hair from her forehead.

There was a soft knock on the door, and Embry got up to let Sam and Emily in. Emily smiled when she saw her daughter asleep in my arms, then pulled our her cellphone to snap a picture of the scene.

"Was she good?" she asked, going to pick up Via's car-seat/carrier.

"Perfect," Embry said, smiling.

I stood to pass the baby to Emily, kissing her soft, sweet smelling hair before passing her over. "Aunt Leah loves you."

Embry took a moment to kiss her head as well, then gave Emily a brief hug. "She really was really well behaved."

"I'm glad. Thank you," Sam said.

"Anytime," I said, offering him a small smile.

After everything we'd been through, I felt no discomfort around him. He had Emily, and I was deeply in love with Embry. They had a daughter that we were in the life of, and we had our own relationships with them. I felt no pain over him anymore, and it made me happy. It was okay, I realized, to be friends with him.

Sam and Emily left, and then Embry pulled me into his arms, resting his chin on top of my head. "Rosalie said something last week, and I think she was right."

"About what?" I asked, kissing his neck lightly.

"Maybe it was only negative this time. We have forever to have a baby," he said, squeezing me. "Let's try."

"Try…?"

"Let's try to have a baby," he said, pulling back and holding me by the shoulders. "Do what humans do! We can - _will_ - have a baby."

I looked dumbly at him, surprised and feeling his excitement. "Embry, what are you saying?"

"Let's _try_. We can a have a baby. Let's try, okay?"

I found my face falling. "Um… I don't know what to say."

Embry slid his arms around my waist, pulling me to press against him. "Don't talk then."

"Do you… Do you really think we can do this?"

"I think we should try."

"I don't know… I don't I can handle the disappointment if it's…" I could feel the emptiness I'd felt for those days following the incident creeping back up.

He kissed my head, my forehead, my cheek, then the corner of my mouth. "Don't worry."

I tilted my head up. "Embry, you know me too well to think I won't worry."

"Let's just try," he whispered. "Leah, let's try."

"I'm scared," I admitted.

Embry kissed my forehead softly. "Let's just try."

I swallowed the lump in my throat, then nodded. "Okay."

"Okay. Kiss?"

"Kiss."


End file.
